


I'll Love You From Afar

by redstainedtoes



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), F/M, M/M, Pining, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:07:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28592988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redstainedtoes/pseuds/redstainedtoes
Summary: Reggie------------------(noun)1) the last choice2) someone who is not nearly as loved as those around them
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Luke Patterson/Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 75





	I'll Love You From Afar

Reggie Peters was in love. There, he admits it. The back of his brain had been screaming at him all the evidence until he could no longer shove it in a box and refuse to acknowledge the overwhelming proof that piled up in the corner. But now he sat in that corner, the insides of his eyes painted with all he refused to see and it was too much, too fast.

Who was he in love with, do you ask? The one person that loved him with his entire being, the person that he had stayed with since day one, the one person who saw him for who he was, the one person that would never love him back, not in that way: his best friend, Luke fucking Patterson.

Looking back on it, it was really inevitable. There was a certain infectious joy that came from even being in the presence of him, a melody that played over an over until it was your favorite part of the song. 

There were a few times especially that he should have known, and maybe he already did.

Maybe it was when they went to the beach, just the two of them. They had splashed in the water for hours, tackling each other under the waves. But Reggie's favorite part of the day is when they stood in the receding waves, watching the sunset as the colors bled into his heart. He stole a few glances at the boy next to him and the light reflected in his eyes as he looked back. 

Maybe it was when he knocked on Luke's window and was immediately welcomed in. Tears streaked his face and Luke, being the angel that he is, wiped them off with a gentle hand and held him close until their consciousness drifted away in sync. The warmth of the boy around him was enough to make him feel safer than he had ever felt before. He woke up first the next morning, and the way the sun shone through the thin curtains landed perfectly on them and a feeling of being content washed over him.

Maybe it was when they rode the ferris wheel together, the lights below them magical but his gaze was focused on his best friend. It was like one of those scenes from the movies, when you know everything will be okay and maybe things will work out like you want them to with the power of friendship (love).

Maybe it was when they died and nothing changed between them, Luke being just as touchy and warm and safe as always. They were family, and always would be.

Maybe it was when Julie tried to teach them how phones worked, and Luke was on the other end of it and he could just see the excitement in his veins even through the screen. Reggie wondered how intense the spark in his eyes was if he could see it from so far away.

Maybe it was when he wrote countless songs about "unnamed girls" when he knew who he was really writing them for, just choosing to hide it behind some new distraction from reality.

Maybe it was every time that they shared a microphone, the electricity between them sparking them to life just for each other. They sang to each other's souls and for a moment Reggie was naive enough to believe that maybe those lyrics were meant for him, too.

But he was wrong to hope that, he knew it. Because he always loved but would never receive that love from who he wanted to get it from. 

He had always been chosen last. That was a fact he couldn't ignore no matter how hard he tried. Luke chose Alex all those years ago, and Alex chose him right back. Bobby had chosen nameless girls and guys alike in sketchy bars after sweaty shows. And now he no longer had Bobby, and he was still the last choice. Alex had chosen Willie, and he was happy for them, but briefly Reggie wondered if things would be different if he had chosen Alex, if he would have been easier to get over. Luke chose Julie, and she chose him right back. They were perfect for each other, they really were. They understood each other on so many levels that Reggie could only dream of, but for some time he still wondered if there were a few songs meant for him, too. But then he would have to harmonize some lyric about brown eyes and the voice of an angel and he knew of only one person that possessed both. It was even worse when Luke bounced into the studio one day, hand-in-hand with Julie, just like he used to be with Reggie, only this time he reciprocated those feelings. They didn't show off or anything, but every small squeeze on her hand and kiss on the cheek made his chest ache with a jealousy that he tried so hard to twist into pride.

He had been left alone and chosen last once again. At this point all he could do was accept that he could love and love, but he would never be loved nearly as much in return. That was just a part of who he was now, and so he slowly backed away until those around him were left wondering what went wrong. He didn't owe them an explanation, he told himself, because how do you describe why your mind screams at you without ruining your relationship with the only person you've ever loved?

He tried and tried, he had been trying for years to get over whatever this was, but none of the girls he met and none of the guys he kissed were Luke.

And none of the people Luke dated were Reggie.

So he settled to loving his best friend from afar, wondering if one day he would ever be chosen first.

Reggie Peters was in love, and he hated himself for it.


End file.
